Last week:Jews and ChristiansRoad to Separation

This Week:

Jewish and Gentile Christians

In co-existence

Early Christianity and JudaismMajor Milestones

• AD 33 Martyrdom of Stephen

• AD 33 Conversion of Paul

• AD 44 (or before) Peter and Cornelius (Herod Agrippa died AD 44)

• AD 49 Jerusalem Council

• AD 70 Destruction of Jerusalem (General Titus)

The Jerusalem Decree – AD 49

Acts 15: 23 The apostles and elders, your brothers, to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings.24 We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25 So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.

Farewell.

Acts 11:19-20Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.

Antioch, between two great Empires

Antioch – Commercial Significance

Missions at Antioch

13 1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

Turmoil at Antioch

• Acts 15:1 ff - Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.

“Minutes” of the Jerusalem Council – Part 1

Acts 15:6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

Peter’s Vision

For list of unclean and unclean animals see Lev 11 and Deut 14.

Clean and Unclean Food in the OT Leviticus 11

General categories:

11:3 You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud.

11:9 Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams you may eat any that have fins and scales.

11:13 These are the birds you are to regard as unclean and not eat because they are unclean: the eagle,[a] the vulture, the black vulture, … bats …

11:20 All flying insects that walk on all fours are to be regarded as unclean by you. 21 There are, however, some flying insects that walk on all fours that you may eat: those that have jointed legs for hopping on the ground. 22 Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket or grasshopper.

Motivation for Food Laws in the OT • ? Hygiene ? - Mk 7:19 (“Jesus declared all food clean”) makes

no sense if hygiene is the reason for the food laws.

• ? Avoidance of pagan practices ? the animals commonly used by Israel’s pagan neighbors for sacrifice and worship (e.g. the bull) were the very same animals commonly used by Israel.

• Separation from the nations by drawing a line for table fellowship - Lev 20:25-26

• Sanctity of Life

Motivation for Food Laws – Separation of Israel from Pagan Gentiles

You must therefore make a distinction between the clean and the unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds. Do not defile yourself by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground—those which I have set apart ( י� �ְל�ִּת�� as (ִה�ְב�ַּדunclean for you. You are to be holy to me because I the LORD am holy, and I have set you apart ( ְל�� "ַא�ְב�ַּד from the nations to ( ָוbe my own.

Motivation for Food Laws- Ethical BehaviorGen 9:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. 2 The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands. 3 Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.4 “But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. 5 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being.Lev 17:10 – 12 “I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from his people. …None of you may eat blood, nor may an alien living among you eat blood … because the life of any creature is its blood…”17:13 prohibits eating of strangled animals

Motivation for Food Laws – Ethical Behavior

“…the blood prohibition (Gen 9:3–6) taught the Israelite respect for animal life and remind them that it is only by divine permission that animals may be killed for food. One single prohibition reminds us “who prohibits” and “who permits”, and that he holds us accountable for life of animals and human beings.

If taking mere animal life is not trivial, how much more serious is shedding human blood.

Thus the blood prohibition is an affirmation of the sanctity of life, animal and human. It serves as a daily reminder (or whenever meat is served.)

The 7 Laws of Noah (first 6 given to Adam) – according to Judaism

• Practice justice

• Abstain from blasphemy

• Abstain from idolatry

• Abstain from adultery

• Abstain from bloodshed

• Abstain from robbery

• Abstain from eating flesh from a live animal, also not to drink blood taken from a live animal (Sanhedrin 56a)

Minutes of the Jerusalem Council – Part II• Acts 15: 12 The whole assembly became silent as they listened to

Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 13 When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. 14 Simon[a] has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. 15 The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

• 16 “‘After this I will return    and rebuild David’s fallen tent.Its ruins I will rebuild,    and I will restore it,17 that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,    even all the Gentiles who bear my name,

says the Lord, who does these things known from long ago.

James the Lord’s Brother• Acts 12:17 “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this”.• Gal 1:18 Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted

with Cephas[b] and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother.

• Acts 15• Acts 21:20• Epistle of James – 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus

Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations …”

• Epistle of James

James the JustJosephus's Antiquities of the Jews, (xx.9):

• "the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James" met his death after the death of the procurator Festus, yet before Albinus took office. [AD 62]

•.The High Priest Hanan took advantage of this lack of imperial oversight and managed to have James executed by stoning.

•Josephus reports that Hanan's act offended a number of "those who were considered the most fair-minded people in the City, and strict in their observance of the Law," who petitioned the new procurator about the matter.

•High Priest Hana was removed from office.

Bishops in JerusalemTHE FIRST CHRISTIAN BISHOPS OF JERUSALEM

1. Jame st + 11. Justus + 21. Gaius I 31. Dius

2. Symeon 12. Levi + 22. Symmachus 32. Germanio 3. Justus + 13. Ephres + 23. Gaius II 33. Gordius 4. Zacchaeus + 14. Joseph + 24. Julian II 34. Narcissus

(repeated) 5. Tobias + 15. Judas + 25. Capito 35. Alexander 6. Benjamin + 16. Marcus 26. Maximus II * 36. Mazabanes

7. John + 17. Cassianus 27. Antonius  * 37. Hymenaeus 8. Matthias + 18. Publius 28. Valens 38. Zambdas 9. Phillip + 19. Maximus I 29. Dolichianus 39. Hermon 10. Seneca + 20. Julian I 30. Narcissus  

+ Jewish descent*These two names are omitted in Eusebius' Church History, but are listed in his Chronicles and are also listed by the Church historian EpiphaniusAlso see Church History, Book V, chapter 12 in which Eusebius lists the first thirty of the bishops, ending with Narcissus, "the thirtieth in regular succession from the Apostles."

“Minutes” of the Jerusalem Council – Part 3

• Acts 15: 19 “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21 For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”

• F.F. Bruce on v. 21: “the decree is no loss to our Jewish heritage since Moses is read all the time.”

• The Decree addressed 3 major problems (blood and strangled animal are one single issue) of Gentile Christians. “Decree” may not be the right word. “Pastoral Letter” may be more appropriate.

• Idolatry and immorality (Rev 2:12ff, 2:18ff, I Cor.)

• Why is “blood” becoming an issue? - because table fellowship between Gentiles and Jews propel the problem to the front.

Why only 4 prohibitions?

The problem of food sacrifice to idols

• Apollonius asks you to dine at a table of the lord Sarapis on the occasion of the coming of age of his brothers in the Thoerian [temple] (P. Oxy. 1484).

• Diogenes asks you to dine at the first birthday of his daughter in the Sarapian [temple] tomorrow … from the 9th hour (P. Oxy. 2791).

• Sarapis asks you to dine at the sacred offering for the lady Isis in her [or, his] house tomorrow, which is the 29th, from the 9th hour (P. Fouad 76).

Dining Rooms in Temple to Asclepius in Corinth

The Decree after the First Century

• Minucius Felix, Latin Apologist, AD 150-270: refutes the claim that Christians eat children by pointing out that they abstain from drinking blood.

• Eusebius Ecclesiastical History 5.1.26 woman martyr (end of 2nd century)  'How,' she said, 'could those eat children who do not think it lawful to taste the blood even of irrational animals?' And thenceforward she confessed herself a Christian…

ApplicationFirst, a question of how to interpret commandments in the Bible.

Westminster Larger Catechism:

Question 99: What rules are to be observed for the right understanding of the ten commandments?

…where a duty is commanded, the contrary sin is forbidden; …where a sin is forbidden, the contrary duty is commanded:

Fair hermeneutics?

ApplicationJesus’ Hermeneutics of The Ten

Commandments1 No other God

2 No idols

3Do not take God's name in vain

4 Keep the Sabbath

5 Honor parent

6 Do not kill

7 Do not committee adultery

8 Do not steal

9 Do not bear false witness

10 Do not covet

Jesus’ summary:

Do to others what you want them to do to you. This is the meaning of the law of Moses and the teaching of the prophets.

Mt 7:12

Question 135: What are the duties required in the sixth commandment?

• all careful studies/lawful endeavors, to preserve life

• resisting all thoughts and purposes, subduing all passions, and avoiding all occasions, temptations, and practices, which tend to the unjust taking away the life of any

• just defense against violence

• patience , quietness of mind, cheerfulness of spirit

• a sober use of meat, drink, physic, sleep, labor, and recreations

• charitable thoughts, love, compassion, meekness, gentleness, kindness; peaceable, mild and courteous speeches and behavior

• forbearance, readiness to be reconciled, forgiveness

• repaying good for evil

• comforting and succoring the distressed

• protecting and defending the innocent.

Question 136: What are the sins forbidden in the sixth commandment?

• all taking away the life of ourselves, or of others, except in case of public justice, lawful war, or necessary defense

• the neglecting or withdrawing the lawful and necessary means of preservation of life

• sinful anger, hatred, envy, desire of revenge

• all excessive passions

• distracting cares

• immoderate use of meat, drink, labor, and recreations

• provoking words, oppression, quarreling, striking, wounding

• whatsoever else tends to the destruction of the life of any